Hot-air brush and drier for printing presses



Nov. 26, 1929. w. J. PimcE 1,737,174

- HOT AIR BRUSH AND DRIER FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed July 11, 1928 attozucqs Patented Nov. 26,. 1929 HOT- BRUSH AND DRIER FOR PRINTING PRESSES Application filed July 11,

This invention relates to printing presses,

particularly to presses of the Babcock type or any cylinder press, and has for an object to provide improved means for drying theink of the impression on the sheets of paper. It is another object of the invention to so construct and arrange the drying device that a single device will dry the ink from the first impression before the second impression,

m and will also dry the second impression.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device for this type of press which will remove the air under the sheets so that they will lie tight to the cylinder and will also eliminate static to a large extent.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing. In this drawing, a

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically two successive printing and impression cylinders of a cylinder press with my improved device applied thereto, and

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view and partialv sectional view of the drying device. 7

For the sake of clarity l have not shown the details of a printing press but I have 36 shown merely diagrammatically a pair of impressioncylinders 10 and 11 associated with plate cylinders 12 and 13 respectively for printing successive impressions on sheets of paper carried by the impression cylinders. 5 14 represents a pile of indivldual sheets of paper to be printed at the feeding end of the press, and these sheets are fed one at a time along the feeder tapes'15 to the first impression cylinder 10 wheretheir forward ends cylinder, the individual sheet being shown at 17. This sheet ,is carried around the cylinder under the brush 18 and between the are seized by the gripping element 16 on the 1923. Serial no. 291,921.

by the grip 16 and is transferred to the second impression cylinder 11 where its forward edge is gripped by the grips 20 and carried around this cylinder between it and the plate cylinder 13 for the second printing 555 impression. It is then carried upwardly and forwardly where it is at the point 17 seized by suitable grabofi' mechanism shown diagrammatically at 22, and taken from the cylinder 11, passed overithe gas burner 25, and laid on the pilev 21 at the outlet end of the machine. If further printing impressions are to be made it will go on to further impression cylinders as will be obvious.

At the present time the common practice in printing on sized paper an offset compound is added to the ink to quicken drying and to improve theimpression. This is objectionable as adding to the cost of printing and it further tends to fill up the printing plates 7 which then have to be cleaned, necessitating a stopping of the press, thus cutting down production.

I have provided a simple and efiective means for drying the prints after each impression and so arrange this means that the single means dries both impressions. It dries the first impression before the second is applied and then dries the second impression.

It eliminates static to a large extent. It acts 3@ as a brush to work out air between the sheets and cylinders so that the sheets will lie smooth I and tight against the surface thereof, and as it rapidly dries the ink it does away to a large extent with the use of the offset compound, thus doing away with the filling up of the printing plates by this compound, and therefore, permitting continuous production. Still further it eliminates or reduces to a small amount theuse of gas now generally to employed for drying the ink.

This device comprises a pipe 23 extending longitudinally of the second impression cylinder 11 at the upper part thereof between the transfer cylinder 19 and the graboif e5 mechanism at 22, and it has discharge outlets 2%, preferably directed downwardly and forwardly, as indicated in Fig. 1. This pipe is used to discharge heated air against the printed surfaces of the sheets, and it will be apparent that as it is located between the transfer cylinder 19 and the grabofi mechanism 22 the sheet after being printed on the impression cylinder 10 passes under this pipe on the cylinder 11- so as to dry the first printing impression on the sheet. It is then carried by the cylinder 11 past the plate cylinder 13 for the second printin impression and is then continued on the c 'nder 11 under the pipe 23 for the second time to the grabofi mechanism at 22. It will thus be apparent that the heated air blast from the pipe 23 dries the ink of the firstimpression before the second impression is applied, and then dries the ink of the second impression before the sheet is taken off the second impression cylinder. This heated air blast also acts as a brush to force out the air between the sheet .and the impression cylinder 11 causing it to is dried the use of the ordinary gas burner 25- is greatly reduced if not entirely eliminated, thus savmg in the cost of as.

Heated air may be 'su pied to the pipe 23 in any suitable manner, ut a convenient and effective way is to have a feed pipe 26 running along side the pipe 23 connected to a pipe 27 leading from a heating chamber 28 in Y which there is any suitable typeof heating element 29, such as an electrical resistance heating element controlled from any suitable source of electrical current by a switch 38.

A motor driven fan 31 forces air over this heater to thepi e 23 from which it is directed against the sur ace of the paper as described. In order to 'give a more uniform distribution of the air onto the sheet of. paper the pipe 23 ma be divided by partitions 32 into any desire number of sections with branch feed pipes 33 leading from the pipe 26 to these sections and controlled by any suitable valves 34, 35 and 36. This arrangement also permits saving of the cost of heated air when narrower sheets are being printed. For example, if a narrow sheet is being printed it is not necessary to feed heatedair from the entire length of the pipe 23. By closin the valves 34 and 36 air will be discharge onl from the central section of the pipe 23 supp 'ed by the'valve 35.

It will be apparent that the drying deviceas described is a ve simple one, and that the single device will d ry both first and second impressions individually, that it gives better work, greatly reduces the cost of printing and increases production without in any way changing or reconstructing the press itself.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a printing press, a plurality of impression cylinders for successive printings, a transfer roll between the cylinders, and separate means outside the transfer roll for directing a blast of heated air against the outer surface of the printed sheet after it leaves the transfer roll and inder.

2. In a printing press, a pair of impression goes onto the second cyltylinders, plate cylinders associated with the respective impression cylinders, a transfer cyllnder between the impression cylinders,

means for conducting individual sheets to the first impression cylinder, a transverse pipe v extending longitudinally of the second impression cylinder having discharge openings to direct -a blast of air against the outer surface of the sheet after it passes onto the c linder and means for supplying heated alr to said pipe. I

3. In a printing press, a plurality of impression cylinders for successive printing of individual sheets, a transfer cylinder for transferring the sheets from the first to the second impression cylinder, means for taking off the printed sheets from the second impression cylinder, a conduit extending longitudinally of the second cylinder between the transfer cylinder and said takeofl device and provided with discharge openings directed toward the outer surfaces of the printed sheets, and means for forcing heatedair from'said conduit.-

4. In a printing press, a pair of impression cylinders arranged for successive printing of individual sheets, means for transferring the sheets from the first to the second cylinder after the first printing, and separate means outside they transfer roll for directing a blast of heated air against the printed surface of the sheet on the second. cylinder both before.

and after the second printing.

5. In a printing press, a pair of impression cylinders arranged for successive printing of individual sheets, plate cylinders cooperating with the respective impression cylinders, means for transferring the printed sheets from the firstto the second impression cylinder, andvseparate means outside the transfer a roll extending across the sheet for directing a blast of heated air-against the sheet after it is transferred to the second impression roll and also in' position to. direct this blast of air against the sheeet after the second printing.

6. In a printing press, an impression cylinder, a conduit extending longitudinally of the cylinder and transversely the sheet as it is carried around by the cylinder, said conduit being provided with transverse walls dividing it into sections and provided with discharge apenings from said sections directed toward e surface of-the cylinder, supply pipes leading to the individual sectlons, control Valves for said pipes, a blower for forcing air to Said 5 pipes, and a heater for the air.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature. I

WILLIAM J. PRICE. 

